Methods and devices for treating conditions associated with autonomic dysfunction

Abstract

Methods and devices treating an autonomic nervous system associated disease condition in a subject are provided. Aspects of the invention include inducing one or more physiological response selected from the group consisting of sweating, gastric emptying, enhanced heart rate variability and enhanced quantitative sensory test responsiveness in a manner sufficient to modify the autonomic nervous system so as to treat the subject for the disease condition. The methods and devices find use in a variety of applications, e.g. in the treatment of subjects suffering from conditions arising from disorders of the autonomic nervous system.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of treating a subject having a condition arising from autonomic dysfunction, the method comprising:
 enhancing one or more physiological responses selected from the group consisting of:
 sweating, 
 gastric emptying, 
 heart rate variability, 
 ability to rapidly transition from prone to suspended orientation, and 
 quantitative sensory test responsiveness, 
 
 in a manner sufficient to modify the autonomic nervous system so as to treat the subject for the disease condition by applying a pharmacological stimulus, an electrical stimulus, a thermal stimulus, or a combination of stimuli thereof, to induce the one or more physiological responses multiple times during a course of treatment. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the physiological response is sweating. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein method comprises whole body induction of sweating. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the method comprises localized induction of sweating. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the physiological response gastric emptying. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the method comprises electrically stimulating gastric emptying. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the method comprises pharmacologically stimulating gastric emptying. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the physiological response is heart rate variability. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein enhancing comprises applying an electrical stimulus to induce heart rate variability multiple times during the course of treatment. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the enhancing comprises applying a pharmacological stimulus to induce heart rate variability multiple times during the course of treatment. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the physiological response is ability to rapidly transition from prone to suspended orientation and the method comprises rapidly transitioning the subject from a prone to suspended orientation. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the physiological response is quantitative sensory test responsiveness. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the subject is a mammalian subject. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the mammalian subject is a human. 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises diagnosing the subject as having an autonomic nervous system condition. 
     
     
       16. A device comprising:
 a physiological response stimulator; and 
 a controller configured to operate the device in a manner sufficient to perform the method according to  claim 1 . 
 
     
     
       17. The device according to  claim 16 , wherein the device is an implantable device. 
     
     
       18. The implantable device according to  claim 17 , wherein the implantable device is an implantable pulse generator. 
     
     
       19. The implantable device according to  claim 17 , wherein the implantable device is an implantable active agent delivery device. 
     
     
       20. The device according to  claim 16 , wherein the device is configured to be stably associated with a topical surface of the subject. 
     
     
       21. The device according to  claim 20 , wherein the device is configured to locally induce sweating in a subject. 
     
     
       22. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the treatment course comprises non-continuous application of the stimulus. 
     
     
       23. The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the non-continuous application of the stimulus comprises a holiday period.